Emergency Information

Powell River Regional Emergency Program
The Powell River Regional Emergency Program (PRREP) coordinates emergency planning, preparedness, training, response, and recovery for all areas within the Powell River Regional District, including the City of Powell River and the Sliammon First Nation (Tla’amin). The program works with emergency responders, government staff, volunteers, partner agencies, and the general public throughout our region.

How to Get Emergency Info?Though PRREP strives to communicate with the public through various media sources available in our region, major emergencies can cause one or more communication systems to fail. Following an emergency, PRREP will attempt to make public information available through the following means of communication:

Websites – click on the Emergency Info Icon on the City of Powell River website, Sliammon (Tla’Amin) website or Powell River Regional District website home page to be directed to this Regional Emergency Information page.

Local radio stations (95.7 Sun fm, 90.1 cjmp) PRREP will also provide info to CBC Radio and Vancouver Island stations.

Social media – see our twitter feed @EmergencyPRREP.

Local newspaper also has current info on their twitter feed @Peak_Aboo.

Community Notification System – this community alerting system is designed to spread important messages by phone, email or text. There is no guarantee of the message being sent or that it will be delivered. However, to ensure that you are on the list to receive these important messages, click on thisCommunity Notification Systemlink to enroll. In order to update or check your profile, go to our login page and enter your user id and password. From there you can check or edit your account.

Alert Ready Information

Alert Ready is designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians through television and radio. The Alert Ready system is developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, Environment and Climate Change Canada, The Weather Network and the broadcasting industry and wireless service providers, to ensure you receive alerts immediately and know when to take action to keep yourself and your family safe.

Government officials developed a specific list of the types of alerts that are considered a threat to life and should be “broadcast immediately” on television, radio and wireless devices. Here you can find more information including a complete list and description of these alerts.

“While Alert Ready is a Federally and Provincially led initiative, we at the Powell River Regional District are here to notify you of any incidents which hit closer to home. These could include notifications regarding storms, fires, and boil water advisories. However, please note that the Wireless Public Alert (WPA) will take precedence over notifications you will receive from the Local Government, as required by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). For more information, go to https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/television/services/alert.htm

Personal Preparedness
While government and emergency response agencies work continually to improve their emergency management abilities, it is essential that each individual also plans for personal safety and disaster recovery.

Our region has limited emergency resources. In a major disaster there will be a delay in receiving emergency help. Experience has shown that in a major emergency a well-prepared neighbourhood is better able to help those in need.

Coastal Risk AssessmentAn Overview Coastal Risk Assessment study was conducted on shorelines throughout the Regional District, including the shorelines of the Tla’amin Nation, and City of Powell River and provides an initial understanding of the risks for public safety, infrastructure, environmental and economic values throughout the region. To read the report click here.

TsunamisOur region’s geography offers some protection from the devastating tsunamis experienced in other areas of the Pacific. Low lying areas along our coastline are still vulnerable to strong waves and tides resulting from local seismic events and storm surges. Remember if you are near the seashore and feel an earthquake, it is important to move to higher ground as soon as the shaking stops.

The regulations regarding outdoor burning, including campfires, vary throughout our region. The City of Powell River, Savary Island, Van Anda, and Gillies Bay, each have their own local bylaws regulating outdoor burning. Everywhere else within the Powell River Regional District outdoor fires are regulated by the provincial Wildfire Act.

Click on one of the links below to direct you to information about the current burning restrictions for each area:

Provincial – Coastal Fire Centre (applies to all other areas within the Powell River Regional District)

Community Wildfire Protection PlansThe Powell River Regional District retained B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. to prepare a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for Savary Island in 2009 and for the PRRD mainland in 2014. These CWPPs provide the Regional District with a framework that can be used to identify methods and guide future actions to mitigate fire risk.